Eurovision 2010 and Siren

Malcolm Lincoln Siren

Laval liigub ta nagu David Bowie, laulab nagu Robert Plant, teeb muusikat, nagu ise tahab, ega karda enam isegi Mihkel Rauda. Robert Juhkental poleks uskunud, et Eesti Laulu finaali pääseb. Jutt on siin.

The Estonian entry for the 2010 Eurovision is Malcolm Lincoln, a duo consisting of Robin Juhkental (voice and electronics) and Madis Kubu (bass), with their song Siren, written by Robin Juhkental and backed up by a quartet, Manpower 4. The band was started in the fall of 2009 and got its name from an incorrect answer to a question on the Estonian version of the Who Wants to be a Millionaire? game show - the president's name was Abraham Lincoln. Estonians do have a sense of humour!

Malcolm Lincoln draws inspiration from groups such as Joy Division, Depeche Mode, Voxtrot and Style Council, among others. An unexpected winner in the Eesti Laul contest, they have been competing in Oslo but did not reach the semi-finals.

Eurovision 2010 results...and the winner is...

Lena Meyer-Landrut from Germany Lena was born in Hanover, Germany. She is the granddaughter of Andreas Meyer-Landrut, the Estonian-born West German ambassador to the Soviet Union in Moscow from 1980 to 1983 and 1987 to 1989.

She received the highest number of points from televoters and juries from the 39 countries participating in this year's edition of Europe's Favourite TV-show! Germany managed to gather 246 points altogether, followed by maNga from Turkey with 170 points and Ovi & Paula Selling from Romania who collected 162 points.

This is NOT the winning song! THIS is "Satellite" and here are Alvin and the Chipmunks - gotta love those guys!!

Sirens: Mylène Farmer and Kerli

Dessine-moi un mouton Draw me a sheep
Le ciel est vide sans imagination The sky is empty without imagination
C'est ça That's it
Dessine-moi un mouton Draw me a sheep
Redevenir l'enfant que nous étions Become again the child we once were
Dessine-moi un mouton Draw me a sheep
Le monde est triste sans imagination The world is sad without imagination
C'est ça That's it
Dessine-moi un mouton Draw me a sheep
Apprivoiser l'absurdité du Monde To tame the absurdity of the World

See on üke hirmus suur saladus. Teile, kes te väikest printsi armastate nagu minagi, ei ole maailmas midagi nii koldat kui teadmatus, kas üks lammas, keda me ei tunne, on ühe roosi ära söönud või ei ole. Ja ükski suur inimene ei saa iialgi aru, et see on nii tähtis! - Väike prints

Väikese printsi lugu on tuntud üle maailma ja on samuti tõlgitud eesti keelde. Selle jutu järele kirjutas Mylène Farmer Joonista mulle lammas, mis ilmus 1999 aastal ja on ikka kuulus. Lauljanna on sündinud Montrealis 1961 aastal aga elab Prantsusmaal. Ta on lemmiklaulja kellel on kõige rohkem esimese koha hitte Prantsusmaal. Kuna talle meeldis 1930.a Hollywoodi filmi täht Frances Farmer, vahetas oma perekonna nime Gauthier selle vastu. Lemmik autorid on Baudelaire ja Edgar Allan Poe; ta tuletab ka Ziggy Stardusti meelde omas videos Live Bercy 2006.

Kerli Köiv has been called the Mylène Farmer of Estonia because of her musical style and sense of drama and makeup. Born in 1987 in Elva, southern Estonia, she dropped out of school at 16 to work on her musical career. She won Fizz Superstar in 2002 and was second in the Eesti Laul 2004 (a competition to determine the Estonian representative to Eurovision.) However, after her Estonian singing contract did not work out, she moved to LA in 2005 and signed with Island Records in 2006. Her music videos Love is Dead and Walking on Air were released in 2008; Walking on Air was featured in the promotion for the So You Think You Can Dance finale in 2008.

Tea Party and Strange (with Tokio Hotel) were included in the soundtrack Almost Alice to the Alice in Wonderland 3D fantasy film released in March 2010. Kerli sang these songs, along with Walking on Air, in the Ultimate Fan Event for the movie. She is working on a new compilation due out this fall.

Joonista mulle lammas!

Oli kord mees, kes elas üksinda, kellel polnud kedagi kellega rääkida. Tal oli lennuki õnnetus ja maandus Sahara kõrbes. Äkki palus üks väike hääl ta kõrval, et joonistagu talle lammast. Esimene lammas oli haige, teine oli hoopis oinas, kolmas oli liiga vana. Mehe kannatus sai otsa ja kritseldas lihtsalt väikese karbi. Selle sees oli lammas. Ja just see lammas meeldis väikese häälele, kes oli Väike prints.

These classic children's books for young readers and their parents are available at Võlusaared-Magic Isles, the TES Schools library. If you have read them, please comment! If you can recommend others, please do so! Weekly Estonian book updates, old and new, are coming! Keep checking in! For more information, please email us at: speakesto@gmail.com











Väike prints
Written and illustrated by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, 79 pages
2003 Tiritamm

Saint-Exupéry wrote The Little Prince in 1942 while living in New York City and Long Island, NY. It was first published in 1943 and is based on his experience as an international aviation courier (he delivered mail from Touluse to Dakar). He and his co-pilot crashed in the Sahara and were resued by a bedouin; they were lucky to be found alive. Terre des Hommes (Sand, Wind, Stars), 1939, was the basis for Expo 67 in Montreal, Canada - better known as Man and his World.

In this Ott Ojamaa translation (published in 1966 and reprinted many times) the language is clear and concise, compared to a later translation.

Väikese eurooplase lugemik
Lauri Leesi, illustrated by Joonatan Noor, 256 pages
1999 Avita

A collection of well known Estonian and European stories and poems written by Anna Haava, Betti Alver, Oscar Wilde, Rudyard Kipling, Oscar Luts and Voltaire, among others. Lauri Leesi has been teaching at the Tallinna Prantsuse Lütseum (Tallinn French Academy) since 1992 and has won may awards, including the French Legion of Honour.

Sookool ja sisalik
Aino Pervik, illustrated by Piret Selberg, 79 pages
Eesti Raamat 1986

Not Shrek! This is a real mud ogre who undergoes a change of heart in his search for a lizard. Aino Pervik is a children's author, well known for her Paula series. As this is an older book, the language is simpler and and the illustrations are cute. Aino Pervik's books are available here.












Draakonid võõrsil
Aino Pervik, illustrated by Piret Raud, 64 pages
2002 Tiritamm

This whimsical tale about dragons takes place in a mythical Estonia quite different to that of Kalevipoeg. It is a story of fighting without the gore that we usually see on modern media. The language is clear but with longer and modern words. Piret Raud is a wonderful illustrator, who worked with her mother Aino on the Paula series and others. Pätu and Härra Q are also in our library collection.

Kovikud ja teised lahedad leiud

Me trehvame sõpradega kohvikutes ja körtsides, sest elu on seiklus. See on lõbus suhtlus, aga kas me mõistame oma kiire elumoega siseneda Euroopa kohvikukultuuri?

Hommikused trammid ja rongid on täis tööleminejaid kellel on käes papptassid. Pargis peale kooli kohtame lastevanemaid, kel on rohelise logoga tass ja söök kaasas.

Pariisis pole seda näha, rahvas koguneb bistrosse korralikule lõunale. Toit on maitsev ja tervislik. Aga see pole terve pilt. Reisijuhid on täis kuulsaid kohti, kus kunstnikud ja kirjanikud kohtusid.

Näiteks Jean Cocteau kutsus kokku Seine'i parem- ja vasakpoolsel kaldal elavad kunstikud, kes omaette hoidsid ja teistega ei suhelnud, kohvik avas võimaluse suhelda/ühendada. Eduard Wiiralt ja Aleksander Rannalt olid temaga tihti koos. Aleksander Vardi, Adamson-Erik ja Kristjan Teder maalisid ja õppisid Pariisis; all on Vardi Montmartre õhtu 1938.a

Kui Ameeriklased maandusid, ruttasid otse hotelist kohvikusse, et uudiseid kuulda ja teistega koonduda. Kohvikud olid ka koolid, "sidewalk academies where one learns bohemian life and scorn for the middle class." Mõned grupid suhtlesid rohkem ühe kohvikuga kui teisega, aga paljud lippasid mitmest kohast läbi ühe õhtuga.

Moodne elu nõuab enam kontatki kui kunagi varem. Vilkalt tuleb tegeleda uudistega ja sõpradega. WiFi on osake modernsest maailmast, kuis varem oli telefon. Siin on WiFi tegemised Eestis. Meeldiv on eluraskusi ületada lihtsa tehnoloogia abil. Raskused tekivad kui vanad tegevused veega välja viskad, nagu kirjandus ja lugemine.

On olemas muinasloolised kohad, mis aitavad kaasa loomevõime arenemisse, millesse võiks ka süveneda nagu suurmeistrite maalidesse. Neid tuleb otsida ja pole kerge leida.

Üks selline koht on Meistrite Hoov Tallinnas. Sissepääs on Vene tänavalt, ennem Katariina käiku, Raekoja platsilt kiviga visata. Hoov on kaetud munakividega ja hooned pärinevad keskajast.

Paksud müürid kaitsevad hoovi lärmist ja ansamblite helinad kõlavad hästi nende vastu.

Huvitav on see, et paksud müürid aitavad hoida WiFi signaali hoovis, kuigi tavaliselt on seinad WiFi takistus.

Selles iidses hoovis on koos ajalugu ja modernse maailma väärtus, võimalus olla globaalne ja jagada oma ideed ja emotsioonid maailmaga (fotod Veljo Haamer).

Meistrite Hoovi pikka ja põnevat ajalugu on võimalik vaadata vanadel fotodel ateljeede seintel. Prantsuse stiilis kohvikus Chocolats de Pierre saab maitsta käsitsi valmistatud trühvleid ja kohapeal valmistatud kooke ja torte. Mõnel suve õhtul on ka kuulda Jacques Breli muusikat.

Kohvikud: McCafe Tallinnas?

Pool aastat on möödunud McCafe kohviku avamisel Tallinnas ajaloolises vanalinnas. Endine McDonalds renoveeris ja avas uksed samal ajal. Ei tea kui palju külalisi on käinud? Siin on jutt.

Lisaks erinevatele kohvijookidele nagu espresso, latte, Americano, mocha ja frappe, McCafe pakub kooki. torti, küpsiseid ja muffinid.

Samal ajal kui McCafe avas, Eesti "Starbucks" Double Coffee läks pankrotti; ega halb kohvi ja pahased ettekandjad abiks polnud. Jutt sellest. Starbucks ise Eestisse, Lätisse ja Leedusse ei läinud aga on avanud 32 kohvikut Moskvas kolme aasta jooksul.

There are some 300 McCafes worldwide; they were first introduced in Australia back in 1993 and have expanded into Brazil, Italy, France, New Zealand and Argentina. In 2001, four opened in Canada: Montreal, Burlington, London and Vancouver with trials in PEI and New Brunswick.

Whose drinks are better Starbucks vs McCafe?

Kohvikud, kus peatub aeg

See on nii seatud,

et aeg ei peatu,
vaid aina edasi tõttab.
Ja päevad läevad ja aastad mööduvad.
Ja sul on kiire, on väga kiire, sa aina kuhugi tõttad.
Ja päeva püüad ja märkamatult õhtu ongi käes.

Ei, aeg ei peatu, ei, ei. Ei, aeg ei peatu, ei, ei. (Ott Arderi sõnad)

Aga peatuma peab. Igas linnas on toredaid kohti, kus saab mõnuleda, juttu ajada, arvutit kasutada ja muidugi ravhast vaadata. Pildil on Free Times Cafe, juba kolmkümmend aastat College'i tänaval pakkunud head sööki ja muusikat. Käisime hiljuti ja imestasime, kui head blinid ja kartuli latked olid. Peagu kõik toidud on omatehtud, välja arvatud biisoni hakkliha hamburgerid. On tunne, nagu oleksid kusagil Pariisis kunstnikkude naabruskonnas. Tegelikult see koht asub Spadina tänava ligidal, kus rahvaste erinevus ja ajaloolised hooned tõmbavad kaasa.

Sel nädalal ilmunud Toronto ajakirjas NOW on võimalik uurida 200 kohta, kuhu minna ja ennast paigutada, kas katuste peale, terrassidele või peidetud aaretesse.

Top 5 People Watching
1. Cafe Diplomatico - best view on College Street
2. Black Bull - Queen West biker hangout, great patio
3. Fuzion - martini lounge at Church and Dundonald
4. One - in front of the Hazelton Hotel
5. Novecento - St. Clair West, Corso Italia

Top 5 Cheap Drinks
1. Pauper's - Bloor & Albany, student friendly
2. Tortilla Flats - Queen and Augusta, Tex-Mex, margaritas
3. Negroni - College & Palmerston, two patios
4. Rhino - Queen and Dufferin, artsy hangout
5. Ein-Stein - College & Beverly, student special


Top 5 Secluded Spots
1. Le Papillon on the Park, Eastern & Woodfield, French bistro
2. Red Tea Box, Queen & Euclid, hidden behind a bake shop, unlicenced
3. The Rectory Cafe, Ward's Island, open all year
4. Bairrada, College and Havelock, Portuguese churrasqueira
5. Vicky's Fish and Chips, Roncesvalles & Howard Park, two patios

Toredate naiste muusika õhtu

Once upon a time there lived two girls, big sister Joy and little sister Fear. Joy spent her time doing cartwheels and enjoying herself outside, while little Fear, well, she sat by herself alone, so small and insignificant. Yet Fear wasn't disgruntled as she sat there alone; she was quiet and thoughtful. One day little Fear died. And on that day Joy disappeared as well. It was a miserable day.

Once upon a time there was a group of women, who met to celebrate a party that wasn't to be. But it was nonetheless, a happy evening, although the specially invited Lugemisaasta guests (and the reason for the party) could not fly over from Estonia. You see, a blithe spirit had brought Ott Arder's latest CD Tiivad (2009), with some of his greatest poems sung by Estonia's most famous groups and singers, like the Kukerpillid, Singer Vinger, Ultima Thule, Ivo Linna, R. Rannap/J. Nõgiste, Vennad Urbid and more. Arder died in June 2004, he was 54.

This song by Ruja got the party started:

Mida Juku ei õpi,
seda Juhan ei tea.

Mida Juhan ei tea,
seda ta salgab.

Ja siis, kui vana Juhan
ükskord tunnistama peab,
et ta midagi ei tea,
on mehel kohe vastus valmis,
on kohe vastus valmis:

Inimene õpib kogu elu,
sureb aga ikka lollina.
Inimene õpib kogu elu,
sureb aga ikka lollina,
lollina, sureb ikka lollina.

Toredad naised on: Elle Rosenberg, Marta Kivik, Hille Järve, Erika Kessa, Linda Soolepp, Eve Järve, Kaire Tensuda, Ilo Maimets, Lydia Ritso-Kadai, Tiina Maripuu, Tiina Jenkins, Eda Oja.

Victoria päev

Lilled ja õlu

Soojema talve tagajärjed on Toronto aedades näha; Rippuba, ehk wisteria, langeb kui kosk. Eestis kasvab rippuba peagu ainult kasvuhoonedes, siin on hiina rippuba puu.

Pildil Püsililled e. perennials on samad Eestis kui ka Kanadas; hall ja valge snow in summer ja roosad maiden pinks on leida aasadel ja nurmedel.

Estonian plant name origins are interesting. Snow in summer is called mägi-liivkann lumevaip, mainly because it grows in rocky areas and in clay or sandy soils that are most common in southern Estonia but also in Hiiumaa and near Lake Peipsi. The sandiest areas, called liivikud, are found near the Latvian border, the former Liivimaa.

A common variety of the carnation family, maiden pinks, are called nurmnelks because they grow in fields and meadows. In northern Estonia nurm is more often used for meadow, while in southern Estonia it can also mean corn field. The word nurm is a shortened form of nurmik and has Latvian origins.

From «Latvian loanwords in Estonian dialects V» by Lembit Vaba:

sibrik ‘small wooden tub with a round bottom’. Latv. ciba ‘ein rundes, hölzernes Gefäss, in der Butter, dicke Milch, auch Fleisch getan wird’ (a round, wooden vessel in which butter, curds and also meat were produced).

The Estonian appellations for utensils are often derivations with the suffix -ik (e.g. nur(m)ik ‘churn’ in the present case. Another example is paderik ‘small kettle’ (pada). Compare also Mih Tõs pär JõeK puntrik ‘beer keg’, Lei uhtrik ‘birch bark"\box’, Ris vintrik ‘small beer keg’. In these words, however, it is not quite sure whether the -r- is an integral part of the suffix. Latv. ciba can have reached West Saaremaa via Livonian.

Speaking of vats, the May 2+4 weekend is a good time to try new beers. As this year holiday Monday actually falls on the correct date of Queen Victoria's birthday, it really is a good time to celebrate!

Avatud Uksed Torontos 29. ja 30. mai

Evergreen Brick Works

Tihti sõidame Eesti Majja Bayview teed kaudu põhja poole minnes mööda telliskivitehast, endine Don Valley Brick Works. Lapsed ja külalised alati küsivad selle kohta ja soovivad vaatama minna. Viimasel nädalalõpul mai kuus korraldakse terve päeva giidiga ringkäike ja rohkesti tegevust lastele ja nende vanematele.

Kivitehase asutus on üle saja aasta vana; selle kaevanduse punasest savist on ehitatud Toronto linna kuulsamad hooned: Casa Loma, Osgoode Hall, Massey Hall ja Queen's Park riigikoda. Mida paljud ei tea: seal töötasid teise maailma sõja ajal saksa sõjavangid, keda paigutati lähedasele Todmorden Millsi, orus Eesti Maja kõrval.

Telliskivi tööstus kestis kuni savi sai otsa. Alates 1987. mitmed firmad proovisid uuendada kohta aga linna valitsus astus vahele ja pandi looduskaitse alla. Kaevandus täideti mullaga ja kivilise prügiga, mida kaevati Scotia Plaza torni ehitamisel.

More about the site here. A clay and shale quarry for one hundred years, this 16.5-hectare (40-acre) area has been transformed into a thriving green space. The Don Valley Brickworks is a park containing three ponds, a large meadow and a small forest. The Evergreen Brick Works is developing the abandoned buildings according to LEEDS standards; currently there is a retail garden centre and a Farmer's Market every Saturday, starting May 29th.

The blue-covered construction we see on the way to the Estonian House, the Centre for Urban Sustainability, will house offices and a cafe, and will be literally green (covered in living groundcover).

The Doors Open event, 10 am - 4 pm next weekend, will host food, nature and building tours throughout the day, along with live music and demonstrations.

Hedvig Hanson

Kohtumistund (Meeting Hour) 2008

Hedvig Hanson is a colourful, unconventional Estonian Jazz singer. This CD was produced with Estonian and Finnish musicians: Kristjan Randalu, Ara Yaralyan, Ahto Abner, Abdissa Assefa, Andre Maaker, Jukka Eskola and Siim Aimla. Hedvig usually performs with Andre Maaker on guitar; their music is a mix of modern jazz, rhythm & blues, soul and world music.

Here are Hedvig Hanson and Siiri Sisask discussing Siiri's latest CD "11", an understated and also unconventional compilation, which appeared in May 2009.

Laura Junson, who wrote the music to "Kes sind on näinud", is also a great singer. Here is one of her tracks, Kodumaa.

laulusõnad mis sobivad!

Mööduvad päevad päikese kullased,
Lokkavad põllud musta mullased,
Õitsevad luhad, õitest kollased,
Teile kõlagu minu laul.

Tähed, mis pandud taevavõlvile,
Rohi, mis kasvand niidunõlvile,
Kesa, mis loodab uue külvile,
Teile kõlagu minu laul.

Sinised järved võlusaartega,
Pilved, need sõbrad taevakaartega;
Kõik, kes noored ühes noortega, -
Teile kõlagu minu laul.

Võlu muusika ja sõnad

Võlusaared (Magic Islands) on uus Toronto Lasteaia ja Täienduskoolide raamatukogu nimi, mida esitas 1. keelekümbluse klassi õpilane August Jalakas nime valimise võistlustel. See nimi tuletab meelde kohti, mis asuvad maa ja taeva vahel, kuhu saab rännata kujutlusvõimedega.

Siiri Sisask (the word means nightingale) has captured the essence of Estonia with this song...what magic is in this mountainless land, with its seemingly never-ending forests and miry swamps, where the night eats up the day, and the day that swallows up the night...what land is this? She is one of Estonian pop music’s most intriguing and beloved stars, with a style that defies classification. Eclectic is a word that comes to mind. Who else could record both Eric Clapton’s Tears in Heaven and Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven? This is her latest release from 2009, "11"; she alone plays the piano, without her usual partner Kristjan Randalu.

Mis maa see on?
Siin pole ühtgi mäge,
Vaid metsad lõputud ja laukasood.
Kuid siinne rahvas täis on imeväge,
Ja kummalised nende laululood.
Mis maa see on?
Kord öö sööb ära päeva,
Kord päev on nõnda pikk, et neelab öö.
Ühtmoodi mõlemad siin mööda läevad.
Kui võõras puhkab, kohalik teeb tööd.

Võluvesi ja rist

Pärnu on tuntuim Eesti mereäärne suvepealinn. Ja Vändra metsas Pärnumaal elasid muidugi karud, seda õppisime lauldes nii koolides kui ka suvelaagrites. Pärnumaa vapil on karu, Pärnu jalgpalli klubi Vapruse märgiks on karu, aga Pärnu linna vapil pole mitte laev või mererand vaid hoopis rippuv käsi taevast, rist ja võti. Siin natuke sellest vanast loost:

The oldest preserved seal of Pärnu from the year 1361 depicts the God's hand holding a burned cross and a key as the symbol of the town bylaws. The meaning of the Black Cross, known as a relic in the Middle Ages (probably the wooden altar cross that survived the fire of the Dome Church by a miracle) has been forgotten later and the Swedish changed the colours of the city that referred to the symbols of the Teutonic Order in 1651. Instead of the black cross on the silver background the golden cross on the blue background was taken into use.

The Russian rule changed the coat of arms of Pärnu (in 1728) into blue, white and red according to the colours of the imperial flag. However, the silver cross and key did not last for long, by 1760 the golden cross was back in use again.

However, the cross and key have reverted back to silver as of May 11, 2010, as you can see below.

Kuidas käsi käib?

Soovime tutvustada teile eesti sõnu, raamatuid ja muusikat Kanadas. Moodsas ja lahedas eesti keeles ütleme: "Kuidas läheb?" Aga meie vanemad ütlesid alati: "Kuidas käsi käib?" Miks? Siin on väike kirjeldus Eesti Instituudi poolt....

The Estonians say külma käes, vihma, päikese, tuule käes ('in the hand of the cold, rain, sun, wind'), or ta sai koerte käest hammustada (literally 'he was bitten from the hand of dogs' i. e. 'he was bitten by dogs') or ta sai nõgeste käest kõrvetada (literally 'he was stung from the hand of nettles'). Quite obviously, nobody any longer thinks that the wind, rain, dogs or nettles actually have hands. But in ancient times the moving, often personified natural phenomena, to say nothing about animals and plants, were believed to have certain powers. These powers, sometimes exerting control over human beings, were symbolised by a hand. Hence the contemporary Estonian käskima ('to order'; can be translated 'to give orders with one's hand'), käsilane ('handyman').

In all the above Estonian expressions 'hand' occurs in the singular. This is associated with the integral concept of the world of our ancestors. Everything formed a whole, a totality, also the paired parts of body which were used only in the singular. If one wanted to speak about one hand, one had to say pool kätt ('half a hand'). Hence the division of the holistic world into the right and left halves, right and left sides.

Even now, Estonians find their bearings spatially by using parts of the body, mostly without being aware of it themselves. If something is kõrval ('beside', 'next to'), an Estonian speaker does not even notice that what he is actually saying is that something is 'on his ear' (kõrv, kõrva meaning 'ear' and suffix -l corresponding roughly to the English preposition 'on'). The Estonian postposition peal('on') means literally 'on the head' (pea 'head' + -l); juures (juur, juure + -s which corresponds in modern Estonian to the English 'in' but in earlier times stood for 'near' as well) means that something or somebody is close to the speaker's juur ('root'), i.e. the place where he touches the ground.